


i'm not afraid (because you're by my side)

by luxnoctre



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Christmas, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gift Giving, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mistletoe, Super Smash Bros Competition, deep emotional talks, maybe baekhyun is kinda stupid, no beta we die like men, so. much. fluff.
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21643618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/luxnoctre/pseuds/luxnoctre
Summary: Jongdae misunderstands Baekhyun's Christmas gift, and Baekhyun has an existential crisis shortly after. Or, in other words, Baekhyun is lucky that he has a group of friends who aren't nearly as dense as him.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Kim Jongdae | Chen, Do Kyungsoo | D.O/Park Chanyeol, Kim Jongin | Kai/Oh Sehun
Comments: 32
Kudos: 239
Collections: Round 3: Autumn and Winter - On the Snow





	i'm not afraid (because you're by my side)

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt Flake: #477
> 
> Author Note: First off, a huge thank you and a congrats to the mods for another successful round~ It was very enjoyable to see the X-Mods working haha. Second, thank you to the prompter for this bit of fluff, I hope I did it justice! Finally, a phat hug to V, as always, for being so wonderful hehe 
> 
> Enjoy and Thank you for all the love~~ 
> 
> Title: EXO's Butterfly Effect
> 
> (stream obsession, x-exo forever)

  
  


“Is you buying Jongdae a dildo for Christmas suppose to be indicating something?”

Baekhyun hastily closes the sex shop tab on his laptop and looks up innocently at Chanyeol. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Baekhyun responds solemnly. Chanyeol snorts and flops down beside Baekhyun on the couch, the other scooting over to make room for the taller. 

“I mean, you can’t be  _ that  _ bad in bed, right?” Chanyeol muses to Baekhyun’s shock. Baekhyun smacks Chanyeol’s shoulder and huffs angrily.

“I’m not bad in bed!” Baekhyun exclaims, opening back up the sex shop tab and scrolling past the large, interesting dildo he was eyeing for the past ten minutes. “I was just looking for something spicy! That’s all.” 

“For yourself or for Jongdae?”

Baekhyun doesn’t respond to his friend’s question, only shooting Chanyeol a dirty look as he clicks on a pair of fluffy handcuffs. Very cute and very sexy. Perfect. 

“For Jongdae,” he eventually mumbles. Chanyeol casts him the most judgemental look Baekhyun has seen from him in a long time, and Baekhyun relents. “Fine!” He says, throwing his hands up in the air in despair. “It’s for his Christmas gift!”

Chanyeol lets out a loud laugh at Baekhyun’s confession, literally doubling over and clenching his stomach in amusement. Baekhyun rolls his eyes at Chanyeol’s amusement and kicks him roughly in the leg. “Don’t laugh at me,” Baekhyun pouts, closing the tab for good and switching over to another tab of clothes.

“I’m sorry, I just-” Chanyeol wipes a laughter tear away and shakes his head, “I can’t believe you were honestly thinking of getting Jongdae a  _ sex toy _ .” 

“I haven’t had many ideas, okay?” Baekhyun says. He’s scrolling down the clothing site, browsing the various coats they have to offer. But none of them appeal to him as looking amazing on Jongdae. (That’s a lie, Baekhyun knows that Jongdae looks amazing in anything). “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“Why are you so stressed out?” Chanyeol asks, patting Baekhyun’s back comfortingly. “You’ve never freaked out about Christmas before. Didn’t you give Jongdae socks one time and he literally would not stop smiling the entire time?”

“Yeah but,” Baekhyun sighs loudly and leans back on the couch, hitting his head gently on the wall. “Jongdae has been hinting this entire time that he got me the most perfect gift, so of course I have to get him something perfect in return!” 

Chanyeol looks up to the corner of the room thoughtfully. “What about a gift card?” Chanyeol suggests but Baekhyun shakes his head. 

“No good, Jongdae and I don’t really have the time to go out very often,” Baekhyun explains. He bites his lower lip, inhaling deeply through his nose. “What do you usually get Kyungsoo?” 

Chanyeol nervously laughs, and runs his hands through his hair. “Uh,” Chanyeol starts as Baekhyun glances over at him. “Why don’t we just focus on Jongdae right now?” 

Chanyeol’s obvious avoidance of the question has Baekhyun perking up in interest. “Chanyeol,” He says slowly, leaning over to his friend and wagging his eyebrows like the best friend he is, “What did you get Kyungsoo for Christmas?” 

Chanyeol’s eyes dart back and forth, looking anywhere but Baekhyun’s face, until Baekhyun pinches him in the side, where he knows Chanyeol is sensitive, and Chanyeol winces. “Ok, ok,” Chanyeol relents, rubbing his ribs hurtfully. “I got him a big gift basket of all those expensive wines that he’s been wanting to try. It was so expensive so don’t even ask me to treat you to anything.” 

Baekhyun grins and leans back to his spot. “You are so whipped for him,” Baekhyun observes, as Chanyeol rubs his nape sheepishly. But Baekhyun is sober once again when his mind goes back to thinking about Jongdae. “It’s a shame Jongdae isn’t one to drink,” Baekhyun thinks out loud, “I honestly might just give him a bunch of clothes, if I can’t think of anything else.”

His friend must have felt some sympathy for Baekhyun’s situation, after all, he knows that Kyungsoo isn’t exactly the easiest person to please either, because Chanyeol also starts looking up Christmas presents. “What do you get your boyfriend of,” Chanyeol says out loud while typing, before trailing off and looking at Baekhyun curiously. “How long have you and Jongdae been together?”

“Five years,” Baekhyun says with a dreamy expression. “The most glorious five years of my life.” 

“Yeah, yeah, don’t get all sappy on me,” Chanyeol mutters, inputting five years into the search bar. He clicks the little blue button and scrolls down the suggestions. 

Baekhyun, likewise, continues to search for acceptable clothes for Jongdae. His mind is running through a check list of all the clothing items that Jongdae likes to wear. Sweaters, comfortable shirts, slim fitting pants, beanies (that Baekhyun would love to burn but restrains himself), and jewelry. Baekhyun’s mouse icon hovers over the earring section briefly, before clicking on it and scrolling rapidly. Although there are a lot of pretty designs, none of them scream out to Baekhyun as being the perfect gift. 

He doesn’t know exactly what Jongdae bought for him, but he knows that it is something that Baekhyun would sorely love. Jongdae just knows him that well.

It’s a shame Baekhyun can’t exactly say the same for Jongdae’s Christmas presents. 

He finds a pair of black studs that he deems acceptable, but when he clicks on the picture, he sees that all of them are sold out. Baekhyun groans loudly in frustration, childishly kicking his foot in the air. “Why is this so hard!” Baekhyun demands to abolustely no one. “Why isn’t there like, a perfect gift that will work for anyone?”

“That’s called food, Baekhyun,” Chanyeol informs him with a deadpan voice. 

“Not all of us are fatties like you,” Baekhyun snipes back, glaring at his friend. Chanyeol scoffs in fake hurt, and grabs at his stomach.

“Excuse you?” Chanyeol retorts. “But out of the both of us, who’s the one that hits the gym most often here?”

“I’m literally your gym buddy, I go to the gym at the same times as you do.”

Chanyeol falls silent at Baekhyun’s statement, before rolling his eyes and looking down at his phone. Both of them are engrossed in their searches for a few minutes longer, until there’s the sound of a door unlocking and a quiet voice gently humming. Baekhyun hurriedly closes his laptop, motioning at Chanyeol to do the same, and sits up on the couch, an innocent expression on his face.

Jongdae walks into the living room swinging two bags of groceries in his hands. “Oh hey, Chanyeol,” Jongdae greets the taller happily, pausing in his humming. He drops the bags gently by the kitchen door and walks over to Baekhyun before pressing a quick kiss on the other’s temple. “I didn’t know you were over.”

Chanyeol nervously laughs and Baekhyun shoots him a glare that clearly says “Don’t say anything or I swear I will destroy your gift basket” and Chanyeol shuts up. “Yep, I just came over to play some games with Baekhyun.” He claps a strong hand on Baekhyun’s back, making the other flinch with pain.

“Cool, do you want to stay for dinner?” Jongdae offers with his usual cute smile. “We’re making pasta today.” 

“I’d love to, but Kyungsoo probably wants me home so I’ll be off now,” Chanyeol politely declines. He winks at Baekhyun before getting up and waving goodbye. After the door locks, Jongdae looks over at Baekhyun with a twinkle in his eye. 

“Did Chanyeol tell you what he’s getting for Kyungsoo?” Jongdae immediately gushes. His eyes are in little crescent moon shapes and his lips are curled up in happiness. Baekhyun smiles at his boyfriend’s cuteness, his arms open for Jongdae to sit down next to him and lean over. Baekhyun starts to run his fingers through Jongdae’s black hair, a routine that the other finds quite calming.

“Yep,” Baekhyun says. Jongdae kisses his neck right above the collarbone and Baekhyun can’t resist kissing him back on his head. “Wine basket? Very classy.”

Jongdae hums in agreement, fiddling with the hem of Baekhyun’s shirt. “But do you know what Kyungsoo is getting Chanyeol?”

“No, what?”

Jongdae turns and grins excitedly at Baekhyun who immediately grins back. Jongdae’s personality is just that infectious. “Kyungsoo is getting Chanyeol that new guitar that he’s been whining about!” Jongdae exclaims. “Ah, he just texted me a photo of it. It looks so cool!”

“Wow,” Baekhyun says, blinking in surprise. Perhaps Kyungsoo is just as whipped for Chanyeol as the other is for him. The guitar that Chanyeol wanted is not at all cheap. “Chanyeol is going to be super happy.” A mild feeling of anxiety rises within his chest at the thought of Jongdae’s Christmas present, but one peek at Jongdae’s beaming face has him calming down.

“No kidding,” Jongdae laughs softly. “Those two are really made for each other. Don’t worry Baek-” Jongdae pokes the side of Baekhyun’s cheek with a gentle finger. “You’ll love your gift too!”

“I know I will,” Baekhyun responds with something that he hopes is a smile. “And you’ll love yours!” 

“I can’t wait,” Jongdae says with a cute tilt of his head. He stands up from the couch, pulling Baekhyun’s hand with him. “Let’s go cook dinner, I’m absolutely starving.” Baekhyun follows him easily, almost stumbling over their coffee table but managing to catch himself. When Jongdae is not looking, Baekhyun allows himself another nervous lip bite. He’s determined to find the perfect Christmas gift for his boyfriend, no matter what it takes. 

Dinner is, as usual, a joyous affair. They manage to cook the pasta without burning too much ingredients. Well, Jongdae does most of the cooking while Baekhyun helps in the ways he can (mostly kisses and handing Jongdae items), but it works out regardless. Jongdae places the steaming plate of pasta on their kitchen table before scooping a large spoonful of it on his plate. The meal is delicious, with both Baekhyun and Jongdae feeding each other little bites. Baekhyun’s heart practically swells up with love and adoration at the sight of his boyfriend smiling so happily at him.

His fondness must have shown in his face as well, because Jongdae leans over and kisses Baekhyun gently with sauce stained lips. “You’re so cute,” Jongdae says, a hint of amusement in his voice. 

“You’re cuter,” Baekhyun immediately responds. This little compliment banter is now just a daily part of their relationship. Both of them throwing compliments at each other, but neither one relenting until the banter turns into a full blown making out session. Jongdae grins, his head resting on top of his palm, and pokes Baekhyun once more in the cheek.

“Since you didn’t cook,” Jongdae starts, slowly standing up from the table and collecting Baekhyun’s plate. “You get to do the dishes!” Baekhyun whines loudly at Jongdae’s instructions, leaning back in his chair and pouting.

“Will you help?” Baekhyun asks hopefully. Jongdae glances over his shoulder and laughs at his boyfriend’s dejected expression.

“Sorry baby,” Jongdae apologizes, unceremoniously dumping their dirty dishes in the sink. “I have a bit of work to do, but if you finish quickly, you might be able to get a surprise!” The singsong sound of his words at the end has Baekhyun perking up, already knowing exactly what that surprise is. He rushes over to the sink, already starting the water and wiping down the pasta. Jongdae strolls over to their living room, resuming his musical humming from earlier.

Baekhyun finishes cleaning the dishes in record time, before practically skipping over to where Jongdae is. The other is on his laptop, typing away at the sort of reports and articles that a journalist like him would do. Baekhyun dumps himself on the couch, his arms wrapping around Jongdae’s waist and pulling him in. Jongdae smiles and manages to close his laptop before Baekhyun hugs him tightly.

“Do I get my surprise now?” Baekhyun whispers, his head leaning on top of Jongdae’s chest. Jongdae’s hand rises instinctively, rubbing little circles on Baekhyun’s back in a soothing manner. 

“Sure, you big baby,” Jongdae says mischievously. Baekhyun grins before launching a full assault of kisses all over Jongdae’s face. He pulls away smirking, a glint in his eyes.

“I’m your big baby,” Baekhyun declares knowingly. His hand starts to creep down Jongdae’s body, before lightly pinching at Jongdae’s hip. The other flinches in surprise, but smiles back anyways. With his other hand gripping at Baekhyun’s shirt, Jongdae raises himself to meet Baekhyun’s lips half way. They stay like this for a few seconds, bodies moving in tandem. Baekhyun keeps his arms wrapped securely around Jongdae’s thin waist, marveling how his boyfriend fits so well within his hands. They break away smiling cutely at each other. 

Baekhyun is about to lower himself for another kiss before Jongdae presses a finger to his lips. “Don’t you have work early tomorrow?” Jongdae reminds him, raising an eyebrow. Baekhyun groans at the interruption, but a stern look from his boyfriend has him settling back down at Jongdae’s side.

“Yeah, I do,” Baekhyun agrees. He shakes his head and tilts his head on top of Jongdae’s shoulder, looking up to his boyfriend with puppy eyes. “Can’t I be late, just a bit?”

“Nope!” Jongdae says cheerfully. “You have to be on time, otherwise Junmyeon will not be happy with you at all.” 

Baekhyun sees the truth in Jongdae’s words, but that doesn’t mean he has to like it. So with reluctant legs, Baekhyun stands up from the couch, tugging Jongdae along with him, and heads towards their bedroom. 

Night time preparations go by quickly, with both of them easily sharing a bathroom. Jongdae has his blue toothbrush while Baekhyun prefers his red one, and they both use the same toothpaste. There was a little argument in the beginning of their relationship how they should roll up the toothpaste bottle in order to reach the last bits of toothpaste, But they figured it out rather quickly (Jongdae wanted the classic roll up while Baekhyun just wanted to wrangle the tube until it comes out) and now their bathroom routine is smooth and easy. 

Kyungsoo would call them disgustingly in love if he ever saw their domesticity, but Baekhyun isn’t complaining at all.

In bed, Jongdae rolls over to Baekhyun’s side of the bed to bury his face in the crook of Baekhyun’s neck. Baekhyun smiles and turns over, kissing Jongdae carefully on the forehead.

“Good night,” Jongdae whispers, his eyes already closed. “I’ll wake you up tomorrow for work.”

“Ok,” Baekhyun agrees. He brushes the hair out of Jongdae’s eyes with careful hands. “Good night. Love you.”

Jongdae opens one eye sleepily, and smiles. “Love you!” Jongdae exclaims cheerfully, before he slightly turns over to lie on his back. 

Baekhyun notices notifications popping up on his phone, and he checks them to see that they’re from Chanyeol.

**PCYeol:** Have you decided the gift yet??

**Baek100:** Not yet : ( I was going to look right now while Jongdae is sleeping

**PCYeol:** how about a diamond ring??

Baekhyun raises a skeptical eyebrow at Chanyeol’s suggestion.

**Baek100:** diamond ring?? Where did you get that from??

**PCYeol:** a ton of websites said it’s the perfect gift for a relationship of 5 years! It would be perfect for Jongdae

**Baek100:** but aren’t those hella expensive

**PCYeol:** as if you can’t frikn afford it 

Baekhyun chuckles quietly at his friend’s pointed response.

**Baek100:** alright, you said that a bunch of websites recommended it?

**PCYeol:** yup! Says it never fails

Baekhyun bites his lip, lost in thought. It’s true that Jongdae wears rings, and a diamond ring certainly sounds like a perfect gift. It only takes a split second for him to make up his mind.

**Baek100:** alright, I’ll buy it

**PCYeol:** yesss, tomo?

**Baek100:** yup, I have time after work

**PCYeol:** txt me pics

**Baek100:** ofc, thanks dude

**PCYeol:** anything for you bro

Baekhyun clicks out of his message app with a smile on his face. Finally, he thinks he found the perfect gift for Jongdae.

\----

The next morning is a bit of a rush for Baekhyun. He wakes up to a heavy weight on top of him, and Jongdae’s face awfully close to his. Baekhyun nearly shrieks with fright at Jongdae pressing so close to him, much to Jongdae’s amusement. 

“It’s time to wake up, baby,” Jongdae says happily. He leans back and waits for Baekhyun to slowly sit up. “I’ll make breakfast, get your ass to the bathroom.”

“You love this ass,” Baekhyun mumbles tiredly. He stretches out his arms and rubs his eyes tiredly. Jongdae’s laughter follows him to the bathroom, where Baekhyun quickly does his morning routine.

Jongdae is in the kitchen already setting down a cup of coffee and a plate of eggs and rice for Baekhyun. He eats quickly, with Jongdae preparing his lunch to take with him to the studio. Baekhyun works as a music producer, which has its many benefits, but also requires him to sometimes wake up at ungodly hours. At least he usually doesn’t need to wear fancy clothes. Jongdae kisses him once before pushing him outside the door with his things. 

“Have a great day at work!” Jongdae calls after him. Baekhyun turns around, blows a kiss back, and nearly trips over their loft’s steps. He manages to get to his car safely, starting up the engine and plugging in his AUX cord. He enjoys listening to the latest hit on the way to work, to research what type of music is popular at the moment.

Work is always an enjoyable affair for him. Junmyeon, his friend and boss, is rather laid back when it comes to his producers, and he greets Baekhyun happily when the other strolls into the building. Baekhyun sets his stuff down in his office, a large recording studio he shares with two others, and boots up his laptop. He’s had a tune in his head for a while, and he’s eager to compose something.

He tries to get as much work done as quickly as possible that day because he has such important plans for later. Kibum, his fellow music producer, notices his rush and asks, “Something big later?”

“Yup,” Baekhyun responds, eyes not leaving his screen as his fingers type quickly. “I’m going to go to Jongdae’s Christmas present.”

“Oh? That’s great! What are you getting him?”

“A diamond ring,” Baekhyun says nonchalantly. He doesn’t see Kibum’s eyes growing wide, and the broad smile on his face.

“Wow, congratulations,” Kibum says happily. 

“Thanks,” Baekhyun says, a bit confused at the congratulations. Maybe Kibum is just saying that because Baekhyun has finally figured out the perfect Christmas gift for Jongdae. The explanation makes sense in his head, and he waves it off in favor of continuing to work.

As soon as he completes the song, or at least, the beginning of the song, he hurries out of the studio in search of Junmyeon. His boss lets him go easily, pleased with the work that Baekhyun has done, and Baekhyun texts Chanyeol that he’s on his way to the jeweler’s shop.

It’s a quick drive to the place, and Baekhyun cautiously opens the door with a little tingle of a bell. A sales attendant greets him cheerful and Baekhyun returns the greeting.

“What are you looking for today, sir?” The man asks, hands poised on his keys and kind eyes peering at Baekhyun. 

“I’m looking for a diamond ring,” Baekhyun says confidently, his eyes shining with excitement. 

The sales attendant looks at him surprised, before smiling. “Of course,” He says. He leads Baekhyun over to a display where various rings are resting. “Please, choose any that suits your fancy.”

Baekhyun spends a long time looking at the rings, with the salesman occasionally giving him an opinion. He snaps several pictures to Chanyeol, who also drops a bit of advice on which to choose. But finally, Baekhyun decides on a rather modest but pretty band with a glittering diamond in the middle. To his surprise, the price is not as high as he initially thought, and pays for the item without any regrets. The sales attendant tells him a few directions on care and returns, but Baekhyun doesn’t pay him too much mind. Knowing Jongdae’s style, he’s confident that the other will love the jewelry. He’s given a small velvet box for the ring, and Baekhyun drives away. He stops by the mall to pick up a small gift bag for the item before driving home.

He manages to make it back to loft before Jongdae does, so Baekhuyn quickly hides the ring in the bright red jacket that he knows Jongdae just hates. He does it not a second too late, because Jongdae comes home after with his usual singing. This time, Baekhyun can greet him with a happy smile because his heart feels light. Jongdae notices his upbeat mood, because Baekhyun humors him with plenty of affectionate touches during dinner.

That night, Baekhyun rolls over on the bed to curl around Jongdae’s body. Jongdae lets out little sounds of pleased hums when Baekhyun wraps his arms around his waist and presses his head close to Jongdae’s neck. Baekhyun falls asleep with a small smile, his mind thinking of the pretty ring hidden in his closet.

\----

Christmas approaches with the speed of a great wave. Before Baekhyun realizes it, it’s already time for the party. 

The party takes place at Kyungsoo’s home, since the esteemed food critic has the largest home and the most furnished kitchen. In true Christmas spirit, Baekhyun and Jongdae spend ages before the party officially starts hanging little cuttings of mistletoe around the house. Kyungsoo, at first, disagrees with how Baekhyun hangs every piece around most of the doorways, but his protests are silenced when he accidentally catches himself standing under one with an excited Chanyeol.

Most of the guests arrive in ample time, bearing various gifts and food platters for the dinner. Baekhyun lets out a cheerful yell when he sees that Jongin, a close friend of his, has brought a wagon full of presents for everyone. Jongin grins and leaves the wagon resting by the glass table where there is already a pile of gifts waiting for everyone. 

Dinner is a joyous, but anxious affair. Although the food is delicious, most of the guests are waiting for the real event of the evening: gift opening and games. The real treat of the meal is when Kyungsoo brings out a huge, two tier chocolate cake that he cooked the morning before.

“Wow, Kyungsoo,” Yixing, a gentle hearted doctor, exclaims at the sight. “How much chocolate is in this thing?”

“Enough for us to feel fat for a week, Xing,” Chanyeol teases as he nudges his friend. Yixing grimaces, he’s always been touchy on the subject of health, but the cake looks too delicious to be passed over. 

Baekhyun is enjoying his own slice of cake, cut generously by Kyungsoo, when he looks over and sees Jongdae attempting to wipe away a dopple of frosting on his face. “Ah,” Baekhyun says, swiping his thumb across Jongdae’s face and licking the sugar off his finger. Jongdae winks at him cheekily, his tongue licking a corner of his mouth.

“Is it delicious?” Jongdae asks cutely, eyes curling up in Baekhyun’s favorite shape, a crescent moon. 

“Very,” Baekhyun agrees as he leans over to Jongdae’s ear. “But I’d much rather prefer a different sweet treat, if you know what I mean.” Jongdae bites his frosting covered lips in response, a motion that has Baekhyun casually grazing his boyfriend’s thigh with a gentle hand. But their flirting is interrupted by Sehun’s groans.

“Oh my god,” Sehun says, covering his eyes with a large hand. “Everyone look away, the love birds are at it again.” 

Baekhyun rolls his eyes playfully and glares at the taller. “Shut up Sehunnie,” Baekhyun practically coos. “Out of the both of us, who’s the one that is whipped for Jongin, hm?” At Baekhyun’s accusations, Sehun turns as red as the Santa hat on top of his head, and Jongin sitting beside him breaks out into loud peals of laughter. The comment starts a whole chorus of little jabs at the couple, and Baekhyun turns back to Jongdae, obviously pleased with his work.

Jongdae pokes the side of his cheek with his tongue sticking out in the corner of his mouth. “Behave yourself,” Jongdae chastises him lightly. Baekhyun catches his hand and brings it to his mouth, kissing it softly. 

“Sure, babe, anything for you.” 

Jongdae only glares at him jokingly, but feeds Baekhyun a piece of cake not a second later.

The problem with playing games with Baekhyun and his friends is that many of them are extremely, ridiculously competitive. And it’s not a sort of competitiveness that’s all in good fun, like normal friends. No, it’s the “I-have-to-win-this-game-for-my-honor” type of competitiveness. 

Well, in reality, it’s really four out of the nine friends assembled there that are truly playing to win the game. Chanyeol and Baekhyun have a natural rivalry, as best friends do, and Sehun and Junmyeon play for their pride and bragging rights. The rest of them like to sit back and watch the passion unfurl between the four, laughing and egging them on.

There’s a bit of a squabble in the beginning of what game to play, but the consensus is that there’s really only one game that can satisfy their thirst for wins, and inflate their egos to the max:

Super Smash Bros. 

“Park Chanyeol!” Baekhyun yells out as he rapidly presses his Nintendo Switch Controller. “I swear, kill me one more time and I’m going to knock you out with a throw pillow.”

“Try me shortie!” Chanyeol tempts him as he swings his hand around in a dangerous motion. His controller nearly hits Jongin in the face, who scowls at him in ill disguised disgust. 

“Who the hell picks Pikachu as a character anyways?” Junmyeon demands in disgusting, rapidly pressing the “A” button on his controller to kill Sehun. 

“I do!” Chanyeol practically yells. He manages to snag the ultimate power up, and with a triumphant yell, knocks Baekhyun and Junmyeon off the game map. Baekhyun huffs and falls back on Jongdae, who’s sitting behind him on the couch.

“Jongdae,” Baekhyun says with begging puppy eyes. “Can you please kick Chanyeol in the face so I can win?”

“Stop your complaining, Baekhyun,” Kyungsoo butts in, shaking his head at Baekhyun’s childness. The man hands Jongdae a plate of sugar coated strawberries and pops one into his mouth. “You should be focusing on the game, not trying to cheat.”

Baekhyun lets out a little indignant gasp at the accusation and mockingly grabs at his heart. “Kyungsoo,” He chokes out, “I can’t believe you would ever say something like that! I-” Baekhyun’s complaint is interrupted by Jongdae popping a little piece of strawberry into Baekhyun’s mouth. Jongdae winks at him before nudging him to look back at the game. Baekhyun shoots off one more dirty look at Kyungsoo, before refocusing his attention.

“You guys are delusional,” Sehun declares boldly, tossing his head as if he has lushious locks trailing behind him. “I’m obviously going to win this.” 

Chanyeol and Baekhyun exchange glances and nod in tandem, before focusing all their attacks on Sehun’s character, killing the little cartoon easily. Sehun makes a sound of extreme frustration, and it’s only because Jongin holds him back that Sehun doesn’t start punching Chanyeol’s shoulder.

In the end, Baekhyun manages to win the round through “extreme strategic tactics”, as he likes to call it. Baekhyun thinks it’s skill, everyone knows it’s actually cheating.

“Cheaters are just people with low self esteem and no skill!” Chanyeol announces, after the Win! Slogan appears on the screen along with Baekhyun’s character. 

The cheater in question just snickers, pushing Chanyeol as he stands up. Baekhyun has just a little time to rush to the bathroom before they start to open gifts, so his legs carry him away from the living room. When he emerges from the bathroom, Jongdae is leaning against the doorway, playing with his fuzzy sweater paws.

“Mistletoe,” Jongdae says, gesturing upwards to the ceiling, where there is a messy piece of plant hanging down. Jongdae winks at Baekhyun, who smiles and presses Jongdae against the wall in an instant. Jongdae lets Baekhyun take control of the kiss, his hands running down Baekhyun’s side slowly. 

Baekhyun savors the feeling of Jongdae pressed so perfectly against his body, until the other pokes Baekhyun’s hip to let him know that they need to pause. Jongdae holds his forehead against Baekhyun’s and smiles, his lips in their usual cat-like shape. 

“I was waiting all night for that,” Jongdae whispers softly, his voice low enough to send little shivers down Baekhyun’s spine.

“Were you?” Baekhyun remarks. He chases Jongdae’s lips with his own but his boyfriend lightly pushes his chest and tugs at his hands.

“Later,” Jongdae tells him, pulling him back towards the living room where their friends are assembling a tilting tower of presents. “I want to see your reaction to your gift.” 

“I want to see yours too,” Baekhyun responds automatically. It’s true, he’s extremely anxious to see how Jongdae to react to the ring. He sends a silent prayer to the deities above that his boyfriend will not be disappointed.

Gift giving during Christmas usually entails playing pranks on each other. Naturally, the very first gift that is opened reveals a wide assortment of…

“Sex toys!” Sehun proclaims gleefully. Minseok, the receiver of the questionable box, looks up in confusion with a pained grimace. “Because I think that you need to keep your life spicy and interesting, Seok.”

Minseok can barely muster up a smile, sending little pleas to the others for help. But Chanyeol is too busy bending over in laughter and Junmyeon is making obscene hand movements above his head. 

“It’s from me and Jongin,” Sehun says, pulling Jongin in by his side. The other tenses up when Sehun grabs him, but nervously laughs and rubs the back of his neck.

“My turn!” Chanyeol exclaims, saving Minseok from any response. He grabs a bulky looking box from the tower (nearly toppling it over in the process) and sets it carefully in front of Kyungsoo, who looks at it suspiciously. 

Baekhyun grins in anticipation, his arm tickling Jongdae’s waist. Jongdae flashes a big thumbs up to Kyungsoo who shrugs his shoulders and starts to unwrap the gift. When its contents are revealed, Kyungsoo’s eyes widen so much that they look like fine China saucers.

“Wow!” Kyungsoo says. Baekhyun thinks it's the most emotional he has ever heard from Kyungsoo the entire party. “Chanyeol! This is amazing!” Chanyeol immediately, nuzzles into Kyungsoo’s cheek, his lanky arms wrapping around his boyfriend.

“I knew you would love it,” Chanyeol coos, fondness laced in every word. Yixing makes gagging noises behind the couple, much to the amusement of the others. Kyungsoo flashes an affectionate smile, and gestures Junmyeon to bring Chanyeol’s gift.

“I hope you like yours,” Kyungsoo says, presenting the present with a rare, shy smile. Chanyeol unwraps the gift in two long rips, and nearly screams with happiness. His yell startles Jongin, who flinches and backs up into Sehun’s waiting arms. Chanyeol starts to mumble gibberish as he stares at the elegant electric guitar in his hands. He looks at Kyungsoo, then back to the guitar, then back to Kyungsoo.

Baekhyun is pretty sure that he sees little tears of joy forming in Chanyeol’s brown eyes. Kyungsoo must have seen the look too, because he holds Chanyeol’s head to his shoulder and pats him gently, whispering sweet words into his boyfriend’s ear. By now, the friends around them are cringing from the sweetness of the scene, and Yixing hurriedly motions to Jongdae to get his gift. 

Jongdae untangles himself from Baekhyun’s arms, heads to the now decimated gift tower, and brings back a neatly wrapped box. The wrapping paper has a corgi pattern on it, a design that puts a smile on Baekhyun’s face.

“Merry Christmas, Baekhyun,” Jongdae says with the cutest smile that has Baekhyun’s heart doing cartwheels in his chest. Baekhyun tears the wrapping paper gently, not wanting to damage the box nor the paper. When he sees what’s hidden underneath the paper, Baekhyun stares in utter shock.

His gift is a brand new gaming computer, the exact one that Baekhyun was whining about months prior. It’s a gorgeous model with a sleek silver design and some of the fastest processing power on the market. It’s amazing, and so expensive that Baekhyun hasn’t dared to even look at it online.

“Jongdae…” Baekhyun says, his hands shaking as he tears off the rest of the paper. Around him his friends are smiling happily to each other at his shell shocked reaction. Jongdae is sitting beside him a patient smile on his face as Baekhyun takes in the gift. It takes a few seconds for his mind to process the gift, but when he finishes, he launches himself at Jongdae with a joyful cry. 

“Thank you so much!” Baekhyun says, kissing every inch of Jongdae’s face with his eagerness like a puppy. Jongdae laughs, a beautiful sound, and manages to prevent them from falling back to the ground. “You are literally the best boyfriend ever!” 

“I’m glad you like it, Baekhyun,” Jongdae responds happily, pushing himself back up in a sitting position. Baekhyun kisses him one more time on the cheek before leaning away. His eyes are sparkling with love and adoration as he gazes at Jongdae. 

“Like it? I l-love it!” Baekhyun stumbles over his words but the fumble has the rest of the party chuckling at his excitement. Baekhyun scrambles to his feet, and rushes over to the gift pile to retrieve his gift bag. 

He flops down in front of Jongdae and holds one hand. He gently sets the gift bag in the other and swallows nervously. “I hope you like your gift,” Baekhyun says earnestly, sincerity laced in his voice. 

Jongdae smiles once, and reaches a trembling hand into the bag. When he pulls out the velvet box, the atmosphere in the room goes dead quiet and Jongdae’s eyes widen in amazement. Baekhyun watches his reaction eagerily and nervously, as Jongdae opens to the box to reveal with the sparkling diamond ring. 

“B-Baekhyun,” Jongdae stutters, staring at the ring with wide open eyes. Around them, their friends nudge each other in astonishment and happiness. Baekhyun smiles nervously, his grip on Jongdae’s hand tightening. Jongdae looks like he’s lost all capabilities for speech, by the way he stutters and opens his mouth. 

But the quietness in the room is broken when Jongdae suddenly tears up and sniffles loudly. Baekhyun almost panics, his mind worried that Jongdae actually hates the gift, but then in an instant, Jongdae throws his arms around Baekhyun’s neck with a broad smile.

“Yes! Of course I will marry you!”

Baekhyun feels his body go cold and he freezes up so much that Jongdae, who was smiling happily in the crook of his neck, looks up in confusion. In his eyes, Jongdae has little tears of happiness but his smile is a bit unsure, and perplexed.

“I-No, that’s not what-” Baekhyun’s words fumble out like a roaring, uncontrolled river. He holds Jongdae’s shoulders and pushes him slightly away. His mind is blank as he struggles to fix the situation, but in his haste, he doesn’t pay attention to how Jongdae’s expression turns gloomy and embarrassed. “That’s not what I meant. It’s just a Christmas gift.” 

The once joyous atmosphere in the room goes cold, like a winter storm swept in. 

In Jongdae’s expression, it’s like something breaks inside of him. He stares at Baekhyun, before looking down at the ring in thinly veiled shock. He backs up until his back is touching the couch, and his hand is barely on top of Baekhyun’s. It’s quiet as Jongdae looks down at the floor, unable to make eye contact with Baekhyun.

Baekhyun feels his heart shatter at Jongdae’s crestfallen expression and he reaches a hand up, but after a second thought, lets it drop back to his side. 

“O-oh,” Jongdae stammers, blinking rapidly. Baekhyun winces as Jongdae takes back his hand from Baekhyun’s, curling in on himself from embarrassment.

The room is tense and quiet, as the rest of the friends stare in second-hand embarrassment at each other. 

“Well, um, it’s still a really pretty ring,” Jongdae finally says, giving Baekhyun a small smile. But Baekhyun has known Jongdae long enough to see the cracks behind his facade, the awkwardness in the look. “Thank you.”

“Y-yeah,” Baekhyun responds, but he’s suddenly rendering mute, unsure of what to say next.

“Ok!” Chanyeol says in mock cheeriness, clearly trying to defuse the awkward atmosphere. “Er, why don’t we continue?”

Everyone nods earnestly, clearly eager to move on, and the gift-giving restarts with Yixing’s thoughtful gifts of a warm coat and muffins to Minseok. The atmosphere defuses considerably, with laughter and chatter filling the air, but there’s still an underlying tension underneath. Baekhyun can barely pay attention to the rest of the party, mind still spinning from Jongdae’s reaction.

_ Marriage?  _ Baekhyun thinks  _ Was he…  _ He stares at Jongdae, who is hardly looking at Baekhyun, suddenly interested in the patterns of the carpet. Baekhyun feels an instant weight of guilt settle in his stomach at Jongdae’s emotionless face. He wants to curl an arm around Jongdae’s waist, pull him closer, but something holds him back.

When the gift-giving ends, Baekhyun immediately corners Chanyeol and drags him to a secluded corner.

“Dude, the hell?” Baekhyun hisses, “I thought you said a diamond ring would be the best gift!”

“That’s what the internet said!” Chanyeol defends himself, raising his hands up, “Look, I was just trying to help out.”

“I didn’t think he would react that way! Now I feel like a horrible person, and the worst boyfriend ever.”

“You kind of are the worst, no offense.” 

“It’s your fault!”

“Then maybe you should have come up with your own gift idea!” 

Baekhyun grumbles angrily at Chanyeol’s logic, and is about to retort sassily when a new voice pipes up next to him. 

“Do you mind un-breaking Jongdae?” Sehun deadpans, “He looks like someone just broke his heart with a sledgehammer.” Baekhyun looks back at the rest of the party, where Jongdae is talking with Kyungsoo. He is wearing a smile on his face, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. 

Baekhyun pales. 

“On a scale of one to ten, how badly did I fuck up?” Baekhyun asks to no one in particular.

“An eleven at least,” Sehun decides, “You honestly can’t give your boyfriend of five years a fancy ass diamond ring and  _ not  _ expect him to think of a proposal.” 

“I just thought-I mean, it’s just a ring!” Baekhyun exclaims defensively, but Sehun seems unimpressed.

“Save your excuses.” Sehun jabs back at Jongdae with his thumb. “Just fix the situation.” 

As bratty as Sehun may be at times, Baekhyun knows he’s right. So with one last glare at Chanyeol, he carefully tiptoes over to Jongdae. His boyfriend is helping Kyungsoo cleaning up the stray wrapping paper and gift bags. Baekhyun sneaks over and wraps his arms around Jongdae’s stomach, tugging him into a back hug.

“Dae~” Baekhyun calls softly in a singsong voice. Jongdae stiffens momentarily in his arms and Baekhyun frowns. But the moment is over as Jongdae relaxes himself back into Baekhyun’s touch. “You know how much I love you, right?”

“Yes, babe, I know very well,” Jongdae responds with a light chuckle. But Baekhyun is unsatisfied. He begins to leave a trail of feather like kisses down Jongdae’s neck, grinning internally as Jongdae begins to shake with suppressed laughter. 

“And you know how I would never do anything to hurt you, right?”

Jongdae suddenly spins around in Baekhyun’s arms, pressing his hands to Baekhyun’s chest. “Yes, Baekhyun, I know quite well,” Jongdae affirms. Baekhyun preens and leans forward to kiss Jongdae, but the other suddenly unlatches Baekhyun from his body, stepping away. “I have to help Kyungsoo,” Jongdae says, walking away and leaving Baekhyun alone.

Baekhyun gapes after his boyfriend, surprise written all over his face. Jongdae has never denied him of any kisses, any hugs, any sweet talk before. Unless he’s mad.

For the third time that day, Baekhyun feels his heart drop all the way to the hollow pit of guilt in his stomach. 

His feet take him to Jongdae, who’s now in the kitchen. “Babe?” Baekhyun says cautiously, “Are you mad at me?”

Jongdae lets out a loud laugh, but to Baekhyun, it sounds like glass shattering. “Why would I be mad at you?” Jongdae repeats, bopping Baekhyun on the nose. But he turns around shortly after, not paying any more attention to Baekhyun.

“You sound a bit mad to me,” Baekhyun whispers, slinking away to nurse his wounded heart. He finds Jongin and Yixing fooling around with the Switch, and buries his head into the crook of Yixing’s neck.

“What’s wrong, Baek?” Yixing asks, not taking his eyes off the screen as he tilts his controller here and there.

“I broke my boyfriend.”

“Did Sehun tell you that?” Jongin grunts as he aggressively drifts his little cartoon character on the track. “You didn’t break him.”

Yixing gives Jongin a pointed look and mutters, “He kind of broke him, I don’t think I’ve seen Jongdae that down for ages.”

Baekhyun blows air at Yixing’s neck, making the man squirm in discomfort, and detaches himself. “But how do I fix it?” He almost whines. He wants nothing but Jongdae to be happy, but he doesn’t know what to do. In his opinion, Baekhyun thinks he didn’t do anything wrong, honestly, it’s just a Christmas gift. Perfect boyfriends deserve perfect things.

“Well, what’s wrong with marriage?” Yixing prompts.

“Marriage?” Baekhyun frowns in thought. “Well, nothing, but it seems rather intense, right? It’s a huge commitment to someone.”

“Let me rephrase the question, what’s wrong with marrying Jongdae?”

“You two have been together for five years now, that’s basically marriage time,” Jongin pipes up and Baekhyun glares at him momentarily. 

“I mean, we never talked about it, and it seems like something we should definitely talk about beforehand,” Baekhyun vehemently counters.

“But don’t you love him?”

“Of course I love him!” Baekhyun exclaims a little too loudly, drawing attention from the others. He lowers his voice as he says, “I do. He has all my heart and then some.”

“Then what’s wrong with spending the rest of your life with him? That’s basically what marriage is,” Yixing argues back. 

“Yeah but-” Baekhyun scowls and switches topic, saying “Why are you harping about this? I’m asking what I should do to cheer up Jongdae again.”

“And we’re helping you!” Jongin objects, “Think about it. Even if you’re unsure about marriage, I don’t think Jongdae is.” 

“Wait-” Something short circuits in Baekhyun’s brain as he attempts to register exactly what Jongin is saying. “You mean-Jongdae wants to marry me?” 

“Yes Baekhyun! That’s so obvious! How do you not see it?” Sehun suddenly proclaims behind him. Baekhyun turns and gives him an incredulous look. 

“But, it’s so sudden. Shouldn’t we talk about it first? I don’t-”

“What are you going to talk about? How much you love each other?” Sehun interrupts, “You guys already act like the perfect domestic couple, now it’s tying the knot.”

“You really are against the idea of marriage?” Yixing wonders. 

“No!” Baekhyun shakes his head as he raises his hands. “I’m not opposed!” He lets out a long sigh, rubbing his temples with his hands. “It’s something so new, and kind of scary.”

“Love can be a scary thing, but you still fell in love with Jongdae.”

Baekhyun opens his mouth to argue with Yixing’s, but something in his mind supplies him with the fact that Yixing is right. 

“Maybe don’t think about the idea of marriage, but think about the idea of specifically marrying Jongdae?” Jongin suggests, finally pausing the game and giving Baekhyun a long look. “Sure, marriage is a big thing but with Jongdae, it should be better, right?”

Baekhyun scrunches his face, thinking about his relationship with Jongdae. Sure, his friends are right, he and Jongdae basically act like a domestic couple all the time. Baekhyun thinks about his daily routine with his lover: waking up and falling asleep with Jongdae in his arms, cooking and eating, watching movies, shopping at the local mall, and so much more.

But primarily, Baekhyun thinks about Jongdae’s dazzling smile, and his hand resting in Baekhyun’s hold, ring glittering on his finger. 

And it hits Baekhyun like an explosion in his mind, a punch to the gut, a metaphorical lightbulb flashing brightly.

“Oh my god,” Baekhyun whispers, hand coming up in shock. His friends exchange knowing looks, satisfied smiles on his face. 

Baekhyun moves on auto pilot, stumbling as he stands up and hurries over to the kitchen. Jongdae, who is talking with Kyungsoo and cleaning plates, looks up worriedly. 

“Baek..?” Jongdae asks confusedly. 

Baekhyun grabs his hand and tugs him out of the kitchen and into the living room. “Come with me,” He says, determination in his voice. He spies the forlorn gift bag on the table and picks it up, stuffing the ring box in his pocket. Baekhyun is scared that Jongdae will try to run away from him but luckily, Jongdae seems to be easily dragged outside.

It’s cold, with a slight breeze blowing, but Baekhyun refuses to delay this any longer. He halts on Kyungsoo’s doorstep and spins around to look Jongdae straight in his eyes.

“Jongdae, you’re the absolute love of my life. The shining star in my sky, and I love you so, so much,” Baekhyun starts, clasping both of Jongdae’s hands in his.

“That’s sweet but what-” Jongdae tries to ask but Baekhyun cuts him off with a silent plead.

“I’m sorry for being so dense back there, I should’ve taken your feelings into consideration,” Baekhyun apologizes from the bottom of his heart. He kisses the back of Jongdae’s hands sweetly and says, “But after thinking and talking about it, I realized how absolutely wrong I was.”

Jongdae blinks and tilts his head, realization dawning on his face.

Baekhyun lets go of Jongdae’s hand and reaches for the ring box before dropping on one knee. His jeans are going to get soaked and he’s shivering, but goddamn it, he’s stubborn, 

“I used to think marriage is one of the scariest things ever, and that I wasn’t ready for it. But then I realized that as long as I have you by my side, I’m ready for anything. I-” Baekhyun takes a deep breath and opens up the box to reveal the ring. This is it. “Goddamn it Jongdae. I love you so much and I want to spend the rest of my life together with you because you’re so perfect and you mean everything to me. So please, Kim Jongdae, will you marry me?”

He holds up the ring box, and sucks in a nervous breath. 

It’s silent for a few moments, until it’s broken by Jongdae’s muffled sob. 

“You’re so fucking stupid,” Jongdae sputters out, wiping away tears, but he has a blinding smile on his face. “I already told you, didn’t I? Of course I will marry you.” 

Baekhyun has to resist letting out a loud cheer as he takes Jongdae’s hand and neatly slips the ring onto his ring finger. When he stands up, Jongdae immediately embraces him, capturing his lips in a sweet kiss. Baekhyun pulls him closer, hands wrapped around Jongdae’s waist in happiness. 

“I love you,” Baekhyun says once they break away. He leans his forehead against Jongdae’s so that their noses bump into each other. 

“I love you too,” Jongdae immediately responds. He pecks Baekhyun’s cheek one last time before saying, “Now can we get inside? I’m freezing my ass off.” 

Baekhuyn laughs but obliges, opening the door for Jongdae. But once they walk into the house, they’re met with loud cheers and congratulations. 

“Congratulations you two!” Chanyeol exclaims, wrapping Baekhyun into a large hug, “I can’t believe. My best friend is going to get married.” 

“Were you guys listening the whole time?” Jongdae lightly accuses their group of friends, who don’t even have the shame to look apologetic.

“How could we not? It was the cutest thing ever, I swear,” Jongin practically swoons. “Who needs Christmas rom-coms when we have this?”

The whole group lets out peals of laughter at Jongin’s joke. Baekhyun, eyes bright, looks over at Jongdae to see him laughing, eyes crinkling with happiness. Baekhyun looks down at their intertwined hands, the ring shining like a star on Jongdae’s finger. 

He feels an overwhelming rush of satisfaction as he squeezes Jongdae’s hand tightly. 

And Jongdae squeezes right back.

_ Fin _

  
  
  
  
  



End file.
